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From: dave b <db.pub.mail@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 23:14:23 +1000
Message-ID: <AANLkTimUYmUCdFMIaVi1qqcz2DqGoILeu43XWZBHSILP@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: PROBLEM: oom killer and swap weirdness on 2.6.3* kernels
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On 14 May 2010 22:53, dave b <db.pub.mail@gmail.com> wrote:
> In 2.6.3* kernels (test case was performed on the 2.6.33.3 kernel)
> when physical memory runs out and there is a large swap partition -
> the system completely stalls.
>
> I noticed that when running debian lenny using dm-crypt  with
> encrypted / and swap with a  2.6.33.3 kernel (and all of the 2.6.3*
> series iirc) when all physical memory is used (swapiness was left at
> the default 60) the system hangs and does not respond. It can resume
> normal operation some time later - however it seems to take a *very*
> long time for the oom killer to come in. Obviously with swapoff this
> doesn't happen - the oom killer comes in and does its job.
>
>
> free -m
>             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
> Mem:          1980       1101        879          0         58        201
> -/+ buffers/cache:        840       1139
> Swap:        24943          0      24943
>
>
> My simple test case is
>
> dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/stall
> and wait till /tmp fills...
>

Sorry - I forgot to say I am running x86-64